Since awarding my Julia Child’s Bread the #1 rating for 2010, I have though of repeating it, but now I wanted minimal work with some whole wheat for a healthier outcome.

With minimal hand kneading (that you can probably skip if you’re morally opposed to manual work) this is for the lazy out there. I used the Julia recipe as a guide. I subbed in a cup of whole wheat flour and upped the water to make up for that.

Notes: I ended up using my Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch™ Nonstick Perforated French Bread Pan. This dough is too “light” to stand up by itself. If you decrease the hydration some, you could bake it on a pizza stone. I used water on the surface and in the oven plus a high temperature for a crisper crust. You could bake this in a dutch oven or other pan also. Just be aware of the internal temperature.

Cold weather baking notes: I warmed the mixing bowl initially. I then heated an oven to 170. As soon as it reached that temp. I turned off the oven and let the heating element cool off for about a minute or two before using the oven as my “warm spot”.

What you will need.

Measure water and check temp with an instant read thermometer. Add yeast and mix well. Spray the dough hook with PAM and attach to mixer.

Mix flours and salt in stand mixer bowl. After yeast starts foaming (about 7 minutes), turn mixer on two and slowly add yeast mixture. After about 3 minutes you need to decide if the dough is just right, too dry or too wet. If just right, there will about 2-3 inches attached to the bottom of the pan. If too dry, the dough is not sticking to the pan. If too wet, then it will be attaching to the side of the pan. Add water or flour 1 tablespoon at a time to get to the right hydration. After the right hydration is achieved, continue to knead for another 6-7 minute.

Move dough to a floured surface.

Hand knead the dough for about 30 seconds.Spray inside of the pan with PAM and place back in the pan.Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm spot.

Allow to rise until at least double in size (about 90 minutes).

Punch down dough and turn it on itself several times. Cover again and let rise until a least double in size again (about 1 hour). Preheat over to 450 degrees. Place a large pan with water on bottom rack.

Move dough to floured surface and divide into half and shape into loaves of about 10 inches long and 2-inch diameter. Spray pan with PAM and place loaves on the pan. Cover with towel and place in warm spot until double in size.

Slash top of loaves with 5-6 release cuts to allow for over spring. Brush top with water and place in oven.

After 5-6 minutes, brush top of loaves with water again. Continue to bake until internal temp of about 200 degrees (about 23-25 minutes total).

Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before cutting.

If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Especially any recipe that has no rating please. Thank You and have a great day.

Stand Mixer Whole Wheat French Bread

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What good is that stand mixer if it doesn't do the work for you? Give it something to do with this great tasting whole wheat French bread.

CourseBread

CuisineFrench

Servings

Prep Time

2loaves

180minutes

Cook Time

25minutes

Servings

Prep Time

2loaves

180minutes

Cook Time

25minutes

Stand Mixer Whole Wheat French Bread

Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You:

Rate this recipe!

Print Recipe

What good is that stand mixer if it doesn't do the work for you? Give it something to do with this great tasting whole wheat French bread.

CourseBread

CuisineFrench

Servings

Prep Time

2loaves

180minutes

Cook Time

25minutes

Servings

Prep Time

2loaves

180minutes

Cook Time

25minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2cupsbread flour

1cupwhole wheat flour

1 1/2cupwaterplus 2 T

2 1/4teaspoonsinstant yeast

1/2teaspoonsalt

Servings: loaves

Units:

Instructions

Measure water and check temp with an instant read thermometer. Add yeast and mix well. Spray dough hook with PAM and attach to mixer.

After about 3 minutes you need to decide if the dough is just right, too dry or too wet. If just right, there will about 2-3 inches attached to the bottom of the pan. If too dry, the dough is not sticking to the pan. If too wet, then it will be attaching to the side of the pan. Add water or flour one tablespoon at a time to get to the right hydration.

After the right hydration is achieved, continue to knead for another 6-7 minute.

Move dough to a floured surface. Spray inside of the pan with PAM. Hand knead the dough for about 30 seconds and place back in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm spot.

Allow to rise until at least double in size (about 90 minutes). Punch down dough and turn it on itself several times. Cover again and let rise until a least double in size again (about 1 hour).

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Place a large pan with water on bottom rack

Move dough to floured surface and divide into half and shape into loaves of about 10 inches long and 2-inch diameter. Spray pan with PAM and place loaves on the pan. Cover with towel and place in warm spot until double in size.

Slash top of loaves with 5-6 release cuts to allow for over spring. Brush top with water and place in oven.

After 5-6 minutes, brush top of loaves with water again. Continue to bake until internal temp of about 200 degrees (about 23-25 minutes total).

Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before cutting.

Last Updated

July 16, 2016

Nutrition Facts

Stand Mixer Whole Wheat French Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 835Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 0.5g3%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g

Sodium 497mg21%

Potassium 502mg14%

Total Carbohydrates 168g56%

Dietary Fiber 11g44%

Sugars 1g

Protein 31g62%

Calcium3%

Iron52%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information are estimates and can vary from your actual results. This is home cooking and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

I’m a “dough is dough” guy. Shape it or put it in any pan you want. Also the temp can be varied as long as you get it done so that is why I do internal temp.

If you put this in a large loaf pan and bake at say 375 it might take 45 minutes (just a guess) and the crust wouldn’t be as crunchy. I don’t feel this dough had enough strength to bake on a pizza stone(my initial plan) or on a cookie sheet.

Just spent the day making this recipe and must have messed up somewhere along the way. I didn’t have any problems with the dough, did the double rise just fine, but rather than rising the third time (after forming the loaves) it just expanded versus doubling in height. I decided to bake it anyway and I ended up with flat bread. Any suggestions? Like the other poster, I don’t have the french loaf pan so I baked the bread on a cookie sheet.

Sorry for the delay in getting back… A few days gone. As I said, I don’t think the recipe as written can “hold up” by itself on a pizza stone or appearently on a cookie sheet. A few things to try. First I used AP flour. Bread flour expecially a good one has more protein ie gluten and would make a stronger dough. Second, decrease the water by 1-2 tablespoons would make a dry dough that would be more likely to hold up. But I think the real issue is the whole wheat flour that doesn’t contibute to the structure much.

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